I Have Big Lips & I Cannot Lie

Earlier today on my Facebook page, I mentioned that I had a cosmetic facial procedure done and I had proceeded to ask you guys if any of you had gotten facial procedures done, whether it was Botox, lip injections, facial injections, facial treatments, lasering, rhinoplasty, etc, and I was suprised at the response. A lot of you ladies did! 

A little later into the evening, I posted this photo of myself below and asked if anyone noticed anything different. Most of you guys thought I was pregnant because I was glowing, but that was not the answer. 

Some of you guessed correctly while most did not even notice.. this makes me happy in the fact that I took a more natural route with my procedure!

I won't lie to you and tell you that it was makeup.
I won't lie to you and tell you nothing has changed and that you are just seeing things.
I won't bullshit.

Well, I am known to be SUPER honest with you guys so I am opening up to you all about my lips.

Since I was a younger, I always wanted a fuller pout. Damn you, Angelina Jolie! I had a decent sized lower lip, but it had sometimes appeared that my smaller upper lip would disappear when I smiled. Therefore, I wanted fuller volume up there.

Yoooohooooo top lip, where did you go?

I never really thought about doing anything about it because it wasn't like my lips were super tiny to the point where it had bothered me. But, as I am getting older, I have noticed a huge change in the appearance of my lips. When you age, that collagen and elasticity begins to fade-fabulous, right?

This is my before photo below. As you can see, my lips weren't small at all. They just needed a little "umpf."

So, I turned to the same facility that did the only other cosmetic procedure that I've ever had- my breast augmentation (they did a stellar job!)- to do my lip injections.

I chose to go with Juvaderm. Juvederm is a gel with a smooth consistency that is made of hyaluronic acid.

Hyaluronic acid is a substance that is normally found in the skin, muscles, and tendons of mammals. There are many uses for hyaluronic acid-some people apply it to the skin for healing wounds, burns, skin ulcers, and as a moisturizer. It is also used during certain eye surgeries including cataract removal, corneal transplantation, and repair of a detached retina and other eye injuries. It is injected into the eye during the procedure to help replace natural fluids.

Because hyaluronic acid occurs naturally in the body, no prior allergy test is needed. Because it is natural also means that it is not permanent-it is subject to break down just as with any body tissue or substance. This is why a typical lip injection only lasts as little as 3 months to as long as 6 months in some cases. However, with multiple spaced out treatments, some can go 5 years or so without anymore injections because they have acheived that fuller pout.

The average cost of the procedure is $575 per milliliter of Juvaderm. There are other options for fillers out there, but I chose the filler that lasts the longest and that is the best fit for me.

Yesterday, I had my appointment and I received 1 milliliter of Juvaderm divided into both lips-moreso into the top where it needed it more. The mouth and lip area was numbed with shots of Lidocaine beforehand. The whole thing took less than an hour and would've been quicker if I had layed off of my vitamins, fish oils, and workout supps (nobody had told me to quit this one week prior).

I walked out the the usual and expected "duck lips" from the numbing and injections. I honestly looked like one of these suckers who took the Kylie Jenner lip challenge. 

For the first two days, swelling was at its highest points and I even had a bit of bruising which is very common. On a pain scale, my lips maybe were a 2 or 3. However, once the swelling goes down completely and it all settles, within one week, they will be much smaller.

The goal of my procedure wasn't to gain some huge porn star lips (lol), but for fullness and volume to enhance my look. I am not against plastic surgery (obviously) as to me it is no different than getting your eyebrows waxed, a tattoo, or putting on makeup as these things have one common goal and that's to improve your outlook on the way you look, feel, and visualize yourself-just like with working out to gain a toned physique or eating clean for weightloss. 

I am so happy over the results! It has been a great experience and I am really excited to see the outcome as the swelling and bruising goes down the next few days. I am so happy that they turned out as natural looking as they did. I personally HATE wearing lip gloss and lipstick so it will be nice to acheive that fuller pout without having to wear any makeup.. because honestly.. I hate makeup.

If you have any questions regarding procedure or anything else, feel free to ask. I am an open book :)

I will update this post next week once healing ends!